By John J. Raspanti, Doghouse Boxing. On August 12, 1982 a young man lost control of his Porsche 928 and
collided with back end of a truck killing him instantly. The time was
3:30 in the morning - the place San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

Salvador
Sanchez was 23-years-old. He had engaged in 45 professional fights,
winning 44 of them with 32 knockouts. He captured the featherweight belt
in 1980 by battering defending champion Danny “Little Red” Lopez. He
repeated the trick four months later.

Unlike today’s fighters,
Sanchez was a fighting champion. Every few months the young champion was
back in the ring. In a span of 26 months, Sanchez fought 17 times. He
defended his crown on nine occasions. Sanchez fought like a well oiled
machine. He never wasted energy. He was an assassin in boxing shorts. A
few weeks before he died, he tangled with legendary Azumah Nelson
stopping him in the 15th round.

It was fitting the place was Madison Square Garden in New York City.

To
this day his death still hurts. To many in his hometown of Santiago
Tianguistenco, Mexico, Sanchez lived a blessed existence - until that
terrible day in August, when fate or bad luck snuffed out the life of
one the best fighters of his time.

On August 12, Formers world
champions Lupe Pintor, Ruben Olivares and Rafael “Bazooka” Limon will be
in attendance to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of the death of
the Mexican legend. A service will take place in Santiago Tianguistenco
in Mexico State on Sunday.

“For the WBC, Salvador Sanchez is one
of the best, a legend and a good example for many fighters,” said WBC
President Jose Sulaiman. “His death was a big blow to Mexico and to
boxing. He was very young and did his best during his 10 world title
fights, full of emotion and great shows. We miss him very much and this
is a mandatory event to remember him after 30 years.”